Catholic Churches of NCC includes: Saint Patrick Parish Seneca WI; Saint Philip Parish Rolling Ground WI; Saint Mary Parish Gays Mills WI; St James Cemetery Rising Sun WI; Kneeland Cemetery Seneca WI catholicchurchesofncc.com

St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Philip Parishes January 29, 2023

PO Box 35 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Seneca WI 54654

Website: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com/

Mass Intentions This Week

Confessions: Usually 30 minutes before every Mass and by appointment.

Monthly Eucharistic Adoration:

* St. Patrick: First Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass

* St. Philip: First Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass with confessions for 30 minutes.

Pastor: Fr. Tom Huff -- [email protected] St. Patrick's Rectory 608-734-3252

Bookkeeper: Angie Martin -- 608-734-3931 [email protected]

Bulletin/Mass Intentions/Membership: Yvonne Hady -- 608 485-2109 [email protected]

Bulletin Information Deadline: Tuesdays at 4:00 PM. Bulletin is posted on our website.

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

Wed., Feb. 1 Adult Faith Study at St. Mary, 7:00 PM

Tue., Feb. 7 St. Mary Service Group, 3:00 PM

Income from Last Week

From the Pastor’s Desk:

What Love Will Endure

The Beatitudes are Saint Matthew’s presentation of a sort of ‘New Law’, a new revelation of God’s overall plan for human beings, comparable to what happened on Mount Sinai in the Old Testament, with Jesus being the new Moses. Some translations use the word “happy” instead of “blessed” which is unfortunate, because making a connection between Christ and happiness could be misleading.

With the word “happy” there is a danger that we may come to think that living the Christian religion will automatically make us happy. But even a quick glance at the Beatitudes makes it clear they’re hardly out to bring us happiness. Instead, these sayings are challenging, disturbing and even a bit scary.

The Beatitudes predict that if we are to experience spiritual happiness as disciples of Jesus, it will entail at times some obviously unpleasant life-situations: poverty, tears, going without, and even being unacceptable by large numbers of society or even our own family.

In these sayings, Jesus warns any future would-be disciple that they may have to be willing to have their life turned upside-down, if need be, as we later read in Saint Matthew’s Gospel where the New Law is summed up in the twofold command to love; love of God and neighbor. The Beatitudes are about the things that love will suffer, they are about what love is willingly to endure, the things that love will find itself able to give, and to find satisfaction and even delight in giving. And these things come in many different forms.

The teaching of Christ, then, puts a literally infinite demand on us. We can’t say, ‘No more’ or ‘That’s it’. His teaching admits no limits in what may be asked of us in the way of sacrifice. We express every time we celebrate the feast day of a martyr, the first category of saint to be recognized in the Church. The Christian religion is at times a hard way. It is sometimes the way of the Cross. But it has the right to make such demands, since it springs from a great promise, not only to help us, but also to raise us up to share in the divine life.

Jesus wants each of us; our intellect, our emotions, our energies, our talents, our surplus income, our imagination, our freedom. He wants them so as to consecrate them to the Father, that God may be all in all, and for us to reflect more perfectly God’s image and likeness within us.

St. Philip Announcements:

St. Philip Candles. Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle. Candle intentions for Jan. 15-22 are:

• Blessed Sacrament Candle: For health & well-being of Jada Murray by Kevin & Risha Murray

• B V Mary's Candle: For soul of Helen Carlin by Janet McCormick

• St. Joseph's Candle: For soul of Bernard McCormick by Janet McCormick

St. Patrick Announcements:

Envelopes: Still waiting!

Tri-Parish Announcements:

Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the ill and others in our parishes who need ongoing prayer. To be placed on or to place someone on our prayer list, please call:

St. Mary – Sue Peterson 608-735-4865, St. Philip – Bonnie Murphy 608-386-4954,

St. Patrick – Ica Boylen 608-734-3287.

William Wright Monica Bay Russell Gilbert

Bonnie Boland Donnie Moran

Annual Collection for Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
Being taken up at this time. Learn more about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development at www.usccb.org/cchd/collection.  

General Announcements:

Life Guardians will be hosting a speaker, Dr. Aharon Zorea, on digital addiction affecting the entire family at the Boscobel Bowling Alley on Sunday Evening March 19^th from 7 to 9 PM. This will be a free event which will be appropriate for any age (kids and adults). 

Divine Mercy in My Soul

St. Faustina writes, “Today I was awakened by a great storm. …I began to pray that the storm would do no harm, when I heard the words: ‘Say the chaplet I have taught you, and the storm will cease. ‘ I began immediately to say the chaplet and hadn’t even finished it when the storm suddenly ceased, and I heard the words: ‘Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.’”(Diary, 1731) If you don’t have a copy of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, at the back of the Church, you can pick up a Divine Mercy Image Holy Card with The Divine Mercy Chaplet on the back.

Marriage Moment

“On your wedding day you laid your life into the hands of your spouse without knowing what the future held.” (Leif Kehrwald, Marriage & the Spirituality of Intimacy) How have you been called to love your spouse in unexpected ways? ~ Susan Vogt

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3)